Dutch pronunciation
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Some letters, vowels and combinations of them are pronounced very different in Dutch and hard to compare to other languages. Below you will find an explanation on how to pronounce them and examples.
The pronunciation of Dutch vowels depends on if it is an open or closed syllable. It is a closed syllable when it is between two consonants. An open syllable is when it is not.
The Dutch language also contains combinations of vowels, which are pronounced differently than the syllables on their own.
Combination | Pronunciation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
'ee' | Pronounced as 'e', but longer. | Zij eten veel kaas. | They eat a lot of cheese. |
'oe' | Pronounced as 'oo' in 'boot'. | Ik heb een leuke groep. | I have a nice group. |
'eu' | Pronounced as 'ur' in 'hurt' with rounded lips. | De leuke jeugd. | The nice youth. |
'ei/ij' | Pronounced as a combination of 'eh' and 'ee'. | Hij is erg blij. | He is very happy. |
'uu' | Pronounced as as the short 'u', but longer. | Zij betalen huur. | They pay rent. |
'ui' | Pronounced as a short 'a' followed by a 'u'. | De ui laat mij huilen. | The onion makes me cry. |
'uw' | Pronounced as the short 'u', but the tongue and lips have to be moved more to the front. After that a 'w 'has to be added. | Uw dochter gaf mij een duw. | Your (formal) daughter pushed me. |
'ou' | Pronounced similar to the 'ou' in pronounced. | Ik zeg dat ik van je hou. | I am telling you that I love you. |
'aa' | Pronounced as the short 'a', but longer. | Ze heeft blond haar. | She has blonde hair. |
'au' | Pronounced as ow in 'how'. | Het vlees is rauw. | The meat is raw. |
'aai' | Pronounced as the English pronoun 'I'. | De haai zwemt in de baai. | The shark swims in bay. |
'eeuw' | Pronounced as a long 'e' and followed by 'uw'. | Ik schreeuw de longen uit mijn lijf. | I scream from the top of my longs. |
'oo' | Pronounced as the 'o' in hope, but longer. | Hij heeft hoop. | He has hope. |
'ooi' | Pronounced as a long 'o' and followed by an 'i'. | De vogel vliegt uit de kooi. | The bird flies out of the cage. |
'oei' | Pronounced as a combination of 'oe' and 'ie'. | In de zee drijft een boei. | A buoy is floating in the sea. |
'ie' | Pronounced as the 'e' in the English personal pronoun 'we'. | Hij zei dat niet. | He did not say that. |
'ieuw' | Pronounced as a combination of 'ie' and 'uw'. | Vissen hebben kieuwen. | Fish have gills. |
Listen to the audio text to hear the correct pronunciation.
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The combination of some consonants are pronounced differently than when they are on there own.
Combination | Pronunciation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
'c' |
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'ch' |
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'ck' | Pronounced like the 'k'. | Diederick speelt hockey. | Diederick plays hockey. |
'ng' | Pronounced like the 'ng' in the word 'long' in English. | De lange kring van slingers werd verbroken. | The long circle of garlands was broken. |
'nj' | Pronounced like the 'ni' in the English word 'onion'. | Het oranje team gaat naar Spanje. | The orange team goes to Spain. |
'sch' |
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'sj' | Pronounced as the 'sh' sound in English. | Sjoerd sjoemelde met de winstcijfers. | Sjoerd defrauded the profit figures. |
'tj' | Pronounced as the 'ch' sound in English. | Het hutje was natgeregend. | The cabin was wet, because of the rain. |
Listen to the audio text to hear the correct pronunciation.
The consonant 'c' is pronounced as 'k' after the a, o, u, l or r. After e, i or ij the 'c' is pronounced as 's'.
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Hi! Nice that you came to me for Dutch lessons. I am NT certified NT2 teacher and work with thorough and proven teaching methods. Depending on your goals and wishes we look together at a teaching method that best fits your needs. Besides that I use extra materials to stimulate and motivate you even more. My starting point is that you have to have and keep fun in order to learn Dutch (even better)! I teach both online and face-to-face and live close to Haarlem and Amsterdam.
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Very nice and friendly teacher! Always open to additional questions and eager to help with learning new things.
Christine V.Thank you Valentina, I'm glad you liked the lessons and good luck! Sincerely, Christine van Muiswinkel
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Hi there
My name is Lieneke Jansen and I am 56 years old.
I am from a small country in Europe called the Netherlands
I am a TEFL certified English language coach with experience in teaching both children and adults.
Although I am a non-native speaker, I have learned English since high school, and practicing it on a daily basis from then on.
I have over 30 years of working experience in several international companies on a high professional work and think level.
I am specialised in business conversation and practicing speaking skills on every possible level
Looking forward to meet you as my student.
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Lieneke is a great teacher :-) Since we have been working together my Dutch language skills has improved. I sincerely recommend lessons with Lieneke.
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Hello, my name is Michel and I'm a Dutch primary school language teacher. I moved to France in 2013 and for 7 years I worked for an international school that is well known all over France. Teaching children and adults is my passion.
My lessons are adapted to your level and due to my job and experience I have acces to teaching methodes to learn you the basics of the Dutch language or to improve your level. I can help you to improve your level of writing and speaking or help you learn your first words and phrases.
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Michel teaches with a smile. Very good teacher with a lot of patience and a very good contact with children and adults! I definitely recommend Michel if you are looking for an (online) teacher.
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Dutch lessons (all levels).
I specialize in teaching you how to apply grammar, have a fluent conversation and to improve your writing skills. Moreover, I have helped Dutch speaking students to pass their NT1 exams as well as NT2 students with their language-exams.
So....
Would you like to take some extra lessons, before, in between or after your regular courses or prepare specifically for your exams? Contact me for a trial lesson.
Are you a Dutch student, struggling with the NT1 exams? Book a lesson with me and we can do this together.
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Monique is a great teacher! She is making me improve a lot my speaking which is my focus, without disregarding the other skills
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Hi there
My name is Lieneke Jansen and I am 56 years old.
I am from a small country in Europe called the Netherlands
I am a TEFL certified English language coach with experience in teaching both children and adults.
Although I am a non-native speaker, I have learned English since high school, and practicing it on a daily basis from then on.
I have over 30 years of working experience in several international companies on a high professional work and think level.
I am specialised in business conversation and practicing speaking skills on every possible level
Looking forward to meet you as my student.
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Lieneke is a great teacher. Very professional and sensitive to your needs. She is always positive so lessons are very comfortable.
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Hello!
My name is Guus Weltings. I am 22 years old and I am currently living on Aruba. Currently I'm speaking two languages (Dutch and English), and learning two others (Spanish and German), so I am very familiar with the process!
Dutch can be used in more countries than you think! It is an official language in Aruba, Brussels, Curaçao, Flanders, Sint Maarten and Suriname. The Dutch culture is very diverse and full of foreign influences. I can help you learn all you want about our country and culture, and have fun doing so! Of course, if you just want to practice your Dutch by having conversations I can help you as well.
We can start off with a free trial class in which we will get to know each other and make a planning for the topics that you want to learn. After our trial class we could start right away with your first class!
I hope to see you soon! Tot snel!
Guus
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Guus is a very comprehensive and polite teacher who helps me to improve my difficulties to learn dutch. He gives me good orientations about how to get rid of my barriers.
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My name is Job and Dutch is my native language.
I can help you with all the basics of speaking, reading and writing. I can also help you pass exams that require dutch, like your inburgeringscursus (NT2a or CNAVT). I can teach students from A1 up to B2 level. Also, I passed for my TEFL for the English language, so there will be no problem with explaining the Dutch language.
Discipline is the key to effective learning. I'm extremely organized, well-prepared for each of my lessons and I will never miss a single class. I have tons of study materials, which I hand out to my students after the class and customize lesson plans with.
Each learning objective is met by the end of the lesson. Grammar and a sufficient range of vocabulary are impossible to overlook, and I value it in my approach.
Dutch grammar can be tricky for non-native speakers. I go over concepts repeatedly until my students get the hang of it.
Why choose me as your tutor? I am:
--> Students passed for their exams with help of my lessons.
--> Organised; always prepared for every lesson.
--> Patient: we can continue as long as we need.
--> Friendly
--> Enthusiastic
--> Like meeting new people from the rest of the world.
My Methodology
My classes are normally up to one hour. It's possible to have longer lessons If you prefer this.
So far I have done over 1000+ lessons and gathered sufficient information that is useful in order to pass your exams or to get familiar with the language.
My materials comprise of speaking, writing, grammar, reading and listening. During our lessons we shall cover all of these aspects.
Here's a normal lesson plan with me if you're a beginner:
- Vocabulary (5 min): discussing new learned verbs.
- Pronounciation (10 min): reading a short story and building on vocabulary and articulation.
- Writing (15 min): Q and A sessions where I write your answers down and further discuss sentence structures and mistakes.
- Speaking (20 min): eloquently answering questions which are commonly asked in the exams.
-Listening (10 min): listening to an audio of a short story and answering questions.
The lesson plan varies according to your level of Dutch. Naturally, more advanced speakers focus on speaking and writing.
I always make sure I'm prepared before our lesson starts, so we can start right away and make the most of your time.
If you wish to have a well-organized and disciplined tutor who can help you achieve your goals and express yourself authentically - you can count on me!
I will make sure you're on track and every minute of your learning experience is valuable. Dutch is a pretty straight-forward language, and so am I - do ask me anything you'd like to know!
If you wish to have a well-organized and disciplined tutor who can help you achieve your goals and express yourself authentically - you can count on me!
I will make sure you're on track and every minute of your learning experience is valuable. Dutch is a pretty straight-forward language, and so am I - do ask me anything you'd like to know!
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Thanks to Job I feel more confident with the Dutch language. He has a lot of different materials to practice grammar, reading, speaking and writing. so far i did 20 lessons with Job and I will definitly continue. I recommend job as a tutor to everyone who wants to know the basics of language or need to prepare for exams.
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My name is Brenda and I am born in the Netherlands. At the moment I live in Nijmegen, the oldest city of the Netherlands. A lot of foreign students live here because it is a university city.
I have been interested in languages from an early age. That is why I have learned English, German, French and Spanish. But in my area I am mainly known for my excellent Dutch language skills and my eye for spelling and grammar.
Other things that interest me are cooking and baking and being creative. As a volunteer I have given guided tours and I have done workshops in both English and Dutch. I also love walking in nature or enjoying the beach and the sea!
I am currently learning Turkish, so I fully understand what you are experiencing as a language student. That’s why I am very patient. We practice as much as what you need. Is there something you don’t understand? Feel free to ask again, then we can approach the material in a different way so that it is clear for you.
I also know from experience how great it feels when you can communicate with someone in the local language! So let's go for this challenge together!
Your needs and progress as a student are central.
Please indicate before the first lesson what you would like to work on so that I can prepare myself for the lesson. A number of options are:
- Preparation for the integration course (inburgeringscursus)
Speaking, listening, reading and writing. Cultural and work-related topics.
- Beginners - Advanced (Personalized Lessons) Dutch
We can focus on every aspect of the language. When you want to learn from a book we can use your material or I will advise you which book you can purchase.
As a beginner you start with the basics, the alphabet and some basic words. We extend this so that you can start simple conversations in situations of everyday life and that you become an advanced!
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Brenda is a very friendly and easy-going teacher. She is very well-organised and flexible. During each lesson time just flies cause it's really enjoyable. I am an absolute beginner and I was afraid to start learning a new language from scratch but now I'm confident that I will make it. She can help you learn the language really fast with no stress or tension. Looking forward to my next lesson!
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Learn to communicate in Dutch from the first lesson! Enjoyable classes with teaching materials tailored to your needs. First 15 min. class for free. My name is Karin and I'm from Holland, but I live on the Canary Islands. I love teaching DUTCH and have done so for more than 20 years. I have a Diploma in English Philology. I also have two methodology degrees: the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults of the University of Cambridge) and the FCTBE (Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
I have taught at a Business School and ten companies. In the last two years I've mainly been giving private lessons and I've developed a variety of online self-study DUTCH courses. My schedule is flexible and I adapt myself to the needs and interests of my students so that they reach their objectives in the shortest possible time.
Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
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I had a trial lesson with Karin and was very impressed with her approach and professionalism. I liked the idea of having a casual conversation, while seeing on my screen a transcript of our conversation (which she was typing), where I can check on the spelling of things and where we discussed better ways of phrasing things. Excited to see how further lessons go!
Karin L.Thank you Tomás :-) You have a very good level already. We just have to focus on lots of speaking practice. Hope to see you again soon!
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Hello,
I'm offering informal Dutch and English lessons based on conversation and will conduct my lessons for as much as possible in the target language.
I use text, weblinks to tv shows to get us talking and am a fan of the TPRS method.
There's a lot of information on that method online. Basically it's getting to know the structure Dutch and English through simple conversation. (questions about 1 or several sentences on any topic)
I have some useful weblinks to tv shows in Dutch (with subtitles in Dutch) adjusted to your level and the shows are entertaining too. :-)
We can discuss the shows preferably in the target language of course.
I can explain some grammar too if needed and have articles and books ready to read from. This again will be adjusted to your proficiency. But of course if you'd like to focus on a topic which has your interest that is possible as well. This makes it more personal and more fun.
I've been teaching for about a year now on another platform to students from all over the world and really enjoy having the experience again as I used to be a vocal coach back in the days when I attended conservatory in the Netherlands.
I hope to see you here on Co language. :-)
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Less is knowledgeable about teaching. He was positive and encouraging. During the lessons we followed a good routine. Reading aloud and accent corrections. Then review of homework followed by a TPRS exercise. He was always well prepared and punctual. I highly recommend him.
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Hi!
Are you looking for someone who can help you with the Dutch language? Then you've come to the right place. I have years of experience in teaching Dutch and Sociology to pupils aged 12 to 18 years. Maybe you have trouble with a certain part of the course Dutch, for example grammar, then I can help you with that. Together we will look at where the problem lies and what you would like to learn, together we determine what is the best way for you to learn certain skills. If you do not speak Dutch but you speak and English reasonably well, then I can also help you. I can help you to understand and learn the Dutch language and teach you about the Dutch culture / politics.
I hope to meet you soon and work together.
Kind regards,
Mèlanie van Bentum
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This was a trial lesson, thus not much to review. I liked the teacher for her communication and approach!
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Hi!
I would like to help you with Cambridge Examination preparation (KET, PET, FCE and CAE), as well as conversational English!
Please contact me for one-on-one lessons.
Denise
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She is very easy to understand because she speaks very clear and she explains very well. The working material that she makes available to me is very professional. She is a very friendly and competent teacher. I really enjoy the lessons.
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Hello, my name is Corinne and I am a qualified ESL English teacher from England. I have been teaching in classrooms and online for over 3 years and I have many satisfied students.
My lessons are student-centred and usually take place on Skype. I treat every student as an individual and tailor my lessons to meet their goals. I use a variety of text books and free online resources including exercises, articles and videos. I usually give out a little homework at the end of each lesson to reinforce what we have done together.
In your first lesson, we will discuss your needs and check your current level. From this, we can decide what sort of lessons will suit you the best. Perhaps you struggle with grammar and sentence structure? Perhaps you need to practice English for a specific purpose, like understanding lectures, making phone calls at work, or travelling? Or perhaps you need a structured course so that you can learn English step by step?
Whatever you need, I’m here to help. I see it as my job to make you feel safe, build your confidence and make your lessons enjoyable. I look forward to hearing from you and to helping you on your path to speaking better English. Book your first lesson now and let’s get started.
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I learn English with Corinne for a long time enough to credit her with the required qualities to be a good teacher. She is a brilliant listener. She can adapt her teaching style on the fly, depending on the student's needs. The learning materials are varied: news articles, grammar exercises, video, ... Finally, Corinne makes recommendations for books, movies, and series which are a good fit for my current level.
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